Insomnia
by Chibimonkeyking
Summary: Sanzo can't sleep, and Goku doesn't understand why. He tries to help, only to get rejected. Hakkai notices it's wearing down on them both, and decides to fix the problem.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Insomnia  
Rating: K+  
Pairing: Sanzo/Goku  
Characters: Sanzo, Goku, Hakkai, Gojyo  
Prompt: Insomnia

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Goku slowly woke to the smell of cigarette smoke, faint but recognizable. Knowing that Sanzo must be awake, he pretended that he was asleep, lest he make any noise and disturb the blonde monk's quiet time.

It was dark in the room, even with the dim rays of light coming through the window and resting on the brunette's face.

This fact got Goku to wondering how early in the morning it was, and why Sanzo was already awake. Goku knew that Sanzo almost always woke before him, but he didn't know how early.

He was about to fall back asleep when his stomach growled, and there was a small shifting sound from the other side of the room.

"I know you're awake, stupid monkey."

Goku let out a small sigh and rolled over, still wanting to stay under the warm blankets.

"Why're you up Sanzo? There's still a few hours til Hakkai'll make breakfast…" he mumbled sleepily, gazing over at Sanzo. The faint light from the window made the blonde's hair shin slightly, and there was a small glow from the end of the cigarette.

He looked like the morning sun.

"Here," Sanzo grunted, tossing an apple over to Goku, who quickly sat up and caught it. "That should tide you over until breakfast, right?"

Goku frowned at Sanzo's avoidance of his question, but nodded and started eating. "Thanks Sanzo."

The two of them sat together in silence until Goku finished his apple and decided to go out.

"Goku."

Goku glanced over at him and smiled. "I'm just gonna go for a walk, 'kay?"

After a moment, Sanzo nodded in approval and Goku quietly left the room and headed out of the inn, leaving Sanzo to his thoughts. Goku didn't return until after Hakkai was done cooking, when the sun was bright overhead.

"Hey Goku, welcome back," Hakkai said as Goku sat down, handing him a plate. Sanzo was sitting to Goku's right, reading a newspaper and drinking coffee.

Gojyo still wasn't awake, so Goku was able to take his time eating, although he still ate his usual amount. By the time he was done, Sanzo had finished his paper and a second cup of coffee.

When the priest noticed Goku was done, he got up.

"We're heading out soon."

Hakkai nodded and started cleaning up the dishes. Goku bounded up the stairs, Sanzo slowly following behind him.

"Hey, hey, Sanzo," Goku started energetically, turning as Sanzo opened their bedroom door. "Can we get some meatbuns before we head out, please, please?"

Sanzo sighed deeply.

"No."

"Aw, why not?"

"Because I said so!" Knowing he wouldn't get a different answer and still worried about this morning, Goku stopped asking and went quiet.

The rest of the day was not very eventful. Goku fought with Gojyo in the back seat of the Jeep about pointless things until Sanzo resorted to hitting each of them with his fan.

There was only two youkai attacks, and both groups were pretty weak. The day soon gave in to night, and the Sanzo party was forced to camp out.

As soon as the tents were up, dinner was eaten, and everyone had washed up, the group went to bed. Goku wondered if Sanzo would be able to sleep tonight.

* * *

Goku had tried to go to sleep in the beginning, but he ended up staying awake. He watched Sanzo sleep for hours as thoughts ran through his head at a fast pace.

Shaking his head to rid himself of the thoughts, an idea occurred to him. Maybe, if Sanzo didn't wake up from the movement…

Goku quietly crawled over to Sanzo and laid down next to him. It always helped Goku sleep if he had someone to lay next to, so he figured it might help Sanzo.

He remembered a few years ago when he was frightened from a nightmare.

_**Goku was clinging to someone's hand tightly, running though seemingly endless hallways. He felt scared and glanced up at the figure running in front of him.**_

_**The tall man had long, golden-blonde hair and loose white clothes. With a squeeze of the hand, Goku felt a bit better. Whatever he was running from, he was sure he could get away because he had his sun beside him.**_

_**The next moment, the scenery changed, and they were running through a dark room. Their aim was a rapidly closing, large stone door.**_

_**The brunette felt his hair stand on end when his sun pushed him hard through the door, and he heard a sickening crunch.**_

_**With a small whimper, he turned to look at the source of the noise**, and that image had him screaming himself awake._

_Panting, he sat up and looked around. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until there was a knock on his door._

_"Wh-What?" he asked, wary._

_It was then that Hakkai opened the door and peered in with a concerned expression._

_"Are you alright Goku? Did somethi-"_

_Goku cut him off by launching himself at the young youkai, hugging him tightly._

_"I had a really really bad nightmare…" he mumbled into Hakkai's shirt, drenching it with tears as he started to cry and tremble. Goku felt a hand pet his head softly and he looked up._

_"You don't have to tell me about it if you don't want to. Do you want to sleep with me and Gojyo?" Hakkai asked, smiling calmly._

_Goku nodded and, several minutes later, found himself fast asleep in between his two friends._

Sighing deeply, Goku went to rest his forehead against his friend's, but got smacked instead.

"Ow!"

"What the hell are you doing so close, stupid monkey? I'm trying to sleep," Sanzo growled irritably.

"I-I'm sorry! I just thought-" Sanzo scoffed. "-since you didn't look like you slept so well last night, that I would help. Y'know, moral support an' stuff…" Goku explained quickly.

With a grunt, Sanzo rolled over. Goku frowned, thinking he had upset Sanzo, when the priest quietly muttered to himself.

"Huh?"

Blinking, Goku moved closer to hear Sanzo, who raised his voice slightly and looked anywhere other than at Goku.

"I said, you're not doing it right, idiot." Goku was confused for about five seconds before it clicked.

"Sorry, I'll be more careful next time," he promised as he rolled over, pressing his back to Sanzo's.

"G'night Sanzo…" The blonde replied with a grunt and went still, having almost no trouble falling asleep. Content, Goku listened to the other's breathing and was lulled into a deep sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Luckily, the next time they stopped for the night, it was at an inn. Unluckily, Sanzo demanded that he got his own room, so Goku had to share with Hakkai and the stupid kappa.

Ugh

Rooming with Hakkai was nice, but Gojyo? He always tried to get girls in to his bed and would kick him out of the room.

Goku hoped that Sanzo would be in a more lenient mood after dinner, but for now, he wasn't having much luck.

Sanzo was in an okay mood the night before, so Goku didn't know why he'd gotten the short end of the stick. Sighing, he slowly ate his food and listened to Hakkai and Gojyo's conversation.

He caught concerned glances from Hakkai but shook his head in an attempt to ease his distress.

Goku finished first, excusing himself from the table and heading up to the room he shared with the others. All conversation had stopped at the table as Hakkai watched Goku leave and Gojyo was giving Hakkai a funny look.

"Did the monkey… just leave before having dessert?"

This time, he didn't even have any jokes. Sanzo grunted and put his tea down

"Maybe he's stopped being a bottomless pit."

"Sanzo, you know that's not healthy for Goku. I wonder what he's worried about…" Hakkai mused, deciding to give the boy some space and ask about it later that night.

When it was time for bed however, Goku was already fast asleep in one of the beds, so Hakkai and Gojyo settled for sleeping in the other bed together.

As soon as the lights were off and he could tell they were asleep, Goku sat up.

He wanted to go see Sanzo, but he didn't want the other two asking about it. Slowly, and as quietly as he could, he left their room and headed over to Sanzo's.

With a small knock, he waited, hesitating to call out.

"What is it monkey? Gojyo kick you out again or something?" Sanzo's grumbling came from the room, and Goku thought it was alright to come in.

"Uh, not quite…" Goku mumbled quietly.

"Then what is it?" The brunette fidgeted slightly.

"I was just wondering…" Sanzo grunted, a sign that he should finish his sentence. "…why're you avoiding me? Usually it's fine if we share…"

The blonde sighed and took a cigarette out of his pack, lighting it.

"Maybe I just want some peace and quiet."

"But-"

"Goku. Go to bed." The monkey frowned and hung his head dejectedly, leaving the room.

Figuring he would go clear his head before going back to bed, he went outside and sat on the edge of the porch. He stayed out for a while, trying to think of any reasons why Sanzo would reject his presence.

Was his sun getting tired of him?

Just the thought of Sanzo leaving him made him both sad and angry at the same time. Sighing deeply, he shook his head and went to bed.

* * *

The next morning, the group was dead silent.

Goku was picking at his food and not looking at Sanzo, who was predictably ignoring everyone.

Gojyo tried to strike up a conversation with Goku, and even stole some of his food. After a few tries, he finally got the kid to perk up, but only when he promised that he would buy him some treats when they went grocery shopping.

Hakkai didn't mind since it made Goku feel better.

Even though he was still ignoring Sanzo, he was talking and eating, so Hakkai could wait until later to address the other problem.

It only took them an hour, but they were restocked and on the road, heading west as usual. The ride was loud for the first few hours, where Goku was pestering Hakkai with questions and picking fights with Gojyo.

This only ended when Goku got tired.

He was surprised Sanzo hadn't stopped them, and looking in to the rearview mirror he saw why. Either Sanzo was ignoring them, or he was fast asleep.

Sighing, Goku rested his forehead against Sanzo's shoulder, closing his eyes.

He was honestly exhausted since he hadn't slept so well the night before, but he didn't want to go to sleep, in case youkai attacked.

Hakkai glanced back at Goku through the mirror, a small smile on his face.

"Goku, are you tired?" Goku grunted softly in reply. "Then rest. It would be bad if you got sick."

Goku raised his head and smiled at Hakkai. "Thanks'Kai. Wake me if something happens?"

At the older youkai's nod, Goku let his head return to its place on Sanzo's shoulder and slowly fell asleep, feeling slightly contented.

It stayed this way for a few hours until sometime after noon. Sanzo woke first, wondering why his shoulder was so sore.

Glancing over, he saw Goku sleeping, surprisingly quietly, on his shoulder. Scowling, he knew he couldn't do anything until Goku woke, so he lit a cigarette and smoked as he struggled to fully wake up.

"Sanzo, how are you feeling?" The blonde looked over to Hakkai next to him.

"It's too quiet."

The brunette youkai laughed at his response.

"You and Goku fell asleep and Gojyo got bored, so he fell asleep as well. You slept through their fighting."

Sanzo grunted.

"Speaking of fights… do you know why Goku's been avoiding you?" Sanzo's eyes narrowed.

"How would I know? …he's been acting strangely," he confessed when Hakkai gave him a look.

"He tries to cling to me more than usual one minute, and the next he's glaring at me like I just took his candy. I can't fathom what is going through that monkey's head."

Hakkai shook his head. "Did something happen between you two when we camped out the other night?"

Sanzo looked away and refused to speak.

"Ah, I see. You should probably talk to him before this gets any worse," he said before dropping the subject.

"We should be in the next town in two or three hours."

Sanzo nodded in approval and continued to smoke, trying to distract himself from thoughts of Goku.

The kid wasn't a kid anymore, more like an almost-adult.

Almost.

Sanzo's concentration shifted when Goku moved slightly, sighing softly. The monk almost wanted to wake him up, but he didn't know how much sleep he was getting.

He resolved to talk to Goku once they got to the inn.

He waited in silence, until Goku stirred yet again, this time waking up. "Sanzo?" he mumbled sleepily, rubbing his eyes.

"We'll be in town in an hour," he replied shortly.

Goku nodded and started to shake Gojyo awake.

"Wake up, stupid kappa! We're almost there!"

"Pipe down monkey, damn," Gojyo growled. "Go eat your treats and shut up."

Huffing, Goku got out his candy and started munching on it until they got in to town. Gojyo and Goku grabbed everyone's things as Sanzo and Hakkai went into the inn to get rooms.

When their luggage was split, they went into their respective rooms; Gojyo and Hakkai in one, and Sanzo and Goku in the other.

"Goku," Sanzo said quietly as the monkey sat down on his bed, "we need to talk."


	3. Chapter 3

"We…need to talk?" Goku questioned, looking up at him curiously.

Sanzo nodded, pulling out his last cigarette and lighting it

"Tch…"

'I'll have to tell Hakkai to get me another pack…' Sanzo thought, exhaling deeply.

"What's been wrong with you, idiot?" He scowled at Goku's innocent expression. "You're acting so bipolar – one minute you like me and the next you're ignoring me. What's wrong?"

Goku's nervous smile was replaced by a sad frown.

"I'm the one who's bipolar? Look who's talking. A few nights ago you were fine with me sleepin' with ya, and now you're avoidin' me! What the hell's with ya?" Goku snapped.

Sanzo was surprised that Goku was getting so upset.

"Goku, you don't understand-"

"No! No, I don't understand! But I want to, I want to understand you, why you do things the way you do! But ya won't let me in… I can't understand if ya don't explain anything Sanzo…"

Goku's fit of rage was quickly dying, and he didn't fight back when Sanzo pulled him into his arms.

"Goku…"

The brunette hugged him tightly, breathing in sharply.

"Sorry for yellin', Sanzo…" he mumbled.

"It's fine, you were rightly upset. I didn't realize you were this upset." Sanzo replied quietly. They stood there in silence for what seemed like forever, comforted by each other's presence.

"I'm…sorry that I haven't been completely honest with you." Goku looked up at him.

"It's okay, I know it's difficult for you to talk about this kinda stuff with anyone."

Sanzo grunted softly.

"Damn right monkey, so you better not tell anyone about this."

Goku smiled up at him. "Right! Thanks Sanzo."

Goku let go, his stomach growling.

"I'm gonna go get some dinner, are ya comin'?"

Sanzo huffed. "Let's go, stupid monkey."

Goku beamed and lead the monk downstairs to go get dinner.

Hakkai and Gojyo were relieved to see Goku back to normal, though Gojyo was glad that Sanzo was in a decent mood for once.

It was decided that they would stay in this town for another day or two so they could relax before setting out again.

Smiling, Goku knew that he would be able to spend more time alone with Sanzo, and that excited him.

Maybe Sanzo would finally let him in.

After dinner, Goku was happy and full, laying on his bed as he waited for Gojyo to finish using the shower.

Sanzo was sitting against the headboard of his bed, relaxing as he read the newspaper. Hakkai promised to get him smokes tomorrow, so he had to bum some off of Gojyo.

Without the kappa knowing of course.

There was a knock at the door and Goku hurriedly grabbed his things.

"Thanks Gojyo!" he shouted as he sped down the hall. The red-haired halfbreed looked into the room at Sanzo.

"You know why he's so damn excited? It's just a shower." Sanzo grunted, glipping to the next page of his paper.

"Right. Good night Sanzo."

He closed the door, going to his room.

"Hey 'Kai. After the kid's done, the shower's all yours. He shouldn't be too long."

Hakkai looked up from where he was reading a map.

"Thanks Gojyo. Turning in?"

He shook his head. "Nah, I won't go to sleep until you do. I see you've already moved the beds."

Gojyo sat next to him on the now-double bed, draping his arms over his shoulders from behind and pressing his face against the back of Hakkai's neck.

"Gojyo, I have to figure out where we're going next," he hummed softly.

"You can do that tomorrow, 'Kai," Gojyo purred.

"I suppose…" Hakkai sighed, leaning against him.

"Let me go wash up, I won't be long." Gojyo nodded and Hakkai got his things together, putting the map away.

"Oh, and Gojyo?" Hakkai turned to Gojyo.

"Yeah?"

"Don't bother Sanzo. I'm hoping this break will help him relax and take some time to bond with Goku."

Gojyo nodded. "Alright, I'll leave 'em alone."

"Thank you."

Hakkai left to go take his shower, smiling.

* * *

Goku had finished bathing a few minutes ago, not wanting to miss spending time with Sanzo.

He was excited to just be able to relax all day reading comics and lazing around his room. It would be even better if they all got to play games after dinner.

Finally in the room, Goku put his stuff away and bounded over to Sanzo.

"Hey, Sanzo, can we all play poker or something tomorrow?" Sanzo glanced up at him, putting his newspaper down slightly.

"Poker… or something? I suppose. What brought this on?"

Goku's grin widened.

"Since we'll be here for a few days, I thought it'd be really fun! Whenever we're stopped at an inn or something, it's usually only for one night and everyone's tired so nobody wants to play. Now we can."

Sanzo nodded, agreeing with his reasoning.

"Alright, I'll discuss it with Hakkai and Gojyo tomorrow," he said, patting Goku's head before returning to his newspaper.

The teen felt proud of himself, sitting at the foot of Sanzo's bed.

"What'cha readin'?" Goku asked.

There was silence until Sanzo replied with, "doing the crossword." Goku looked puzzled.

"Those are hard, how do you do 'em? You're not even writing the words down!"

"I didn't really expect you to understand such complicated forms of language anyway."

Despite criticizing him, Sanzo lifted his right arm slightly. Goku happily laid next to him and rested his head on his shoulder.

"Drool or get in the way, you're going back to your bed," Sanzo grumbled quietly. Goku understood this already, nodding.

After having Goku ask about some of the words, Sanzo gave him a mini-language lesson, which Goku predictably fell asleep halfway through. His breath was soft and quiet.

Sanzo finished reading his newspaper and put it in the drawer of the nightstand next to him.

Pulling the covers over them and turning off the lights, Sanzo shifted so that he was laying on his side.

The monkey's face was pressed against his shoulder, but the blonde didn't mind much at all. Closing his eyes, he drifted off to sleep as well.

The two dreamt through the night, clinging to each other until they were woken up by the sun's rays shining into the room, and a knocking at the door.

"Sanzo? Please tell Goku when he wakes up that I'm going to go down for breakfast soon."

"Alright, I will," Sanzo responded in a gruff voice, still slowly waking up. He heard quiet footsteps heading back down the hall and sighed.

"Monkey, you heard him didn't you?" the blonde asked, looking down at him.

"Mmn… heard somethin' about food?" Goku yawned sleepily, pushing himself up from where he had been sleeping across Sanzo's arm.

"Yeah, I heard they have your favorite." Goku sat straight up in a flash, suddenly awake.

"Really?! Yeah!"

He scrambled off the bed and hurried to get dressed.

"See ya downstairs!" the brunette called as he ran out of the room and downstairs. Sanzo shook his head, chuckling softly and getting up.

Maybe sleeping beside the monkey wasn't such a bad idea after all.


End file.
